INTERACTION DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR INTERACTIVE ...

centralized server that could generate real-time images of the gaming world. Each week,
the game environment and the content of the television program would change
dynamically to reflect events that occurred in each respective world (AFI, 2004).
Although the prototype was not deployed, the conception of this convergent
gaming / viewing model was possible precisely because the Science Channel was willing
to discuss how interactivity could be integrated into a new show in order to achieve a
completely new programming concept.
We will undoubtedly see more experimental cases such as Dinosaur Highway in
the future as networks and producers become more willing to produce programs tailored
for interactivity. Ideally, in the future, interactive television experiences will be written
into programs at their conception. In fact, Gronmark predicts that by 2007 there will be
programs that “exist because of interactivity. There will still be linear forms equivalents
that can be enjoyed without interactivity, but full enjoyment of the programs will require
access to interactive functionality” (quoted in Gawlinski, 2003). Movement into this
model of interactivity can encourage innovation and is more likely to maximize the
affordances of the medium. Of course, meaningful interaction must be tailored to the
particular genre and content of the program in order to deepen the viewing experience for
users.
Finally, in thinking about how best to integrate the interaction model, keep in
mind that the best time is not necessarily during the show itself. During her keynote
address at the 2004 AFI eTV Workshop, Emma Somerville advised iTV producers to
consider the “golden ten-minute window” immediately after a program airs, when the
content is still fresh in the viewer’s mind. According to Somerville, this time frame is
similar to how viewers utilize DVDs (e.g, users are more likely to use the interactive
127